BRCA2 deficiency and replication stress drive APOBEC3-Mediated genomic instability

Abstract

Abstract BRCA2 plays a critical role in stabilizing stalled replication forks, yet critical gaps remain in understanding how BRCA2 deficiency triggers fork collapse and drives genomic instability. Here, we identify cytidine deaminase APOBEC3B as a key driver of this process. Using a unique uracil-in-DNA probe, we show that BRCA2 loss promotes APOBEC3B-mediated uracil accumulation in single-stranded DNA (U-ssDNA) at stalled forks. These lesions when processed by UNG2 and APE1, trigger fork collapse and release ssDNA fragments into the cytoplasm, activating NF-κB signaling. This in turn upregulates APOBEC3B expression, establishing a self-reinforcing loop that amplifies cytidine deamination at stalled forks and exacerbates genomic instability. Depletion of APOBEC3B, UNG2, or APE1 rescues these defects. Notably, BRCA1-deficient cells do not accumulate U-ssDNA or induce APOBEC3B under replication stress, highlighting a BRCA2-specific vulnerability. Clinically, low APE1 expression correlates with poor survival in patients with BRCA2 -mutant tumors, with high APOBEC3 levels further worsening outcomes. Together, our findings establish that replication stress, whether intrinsic or therapy induced, triggers APOBEC3B overexpression and potentially activates an APOBEC3B-driven mutagenic loop in BRCA2-deficient cells. These results position APOBEC3B, UNG2 and APE1 as critical regulators of BRCA2 -mutant tumor evolution and therapy resistance.